#hirampowers — Public Fediverse posts

The Greek Slave & The Virginian Slave

The Greek Slave was sculpted by American Hiram Powers in 1843. It depicts a Christian Greek woman captured by Turks. Controversial because of it's depiction of a naked woman, it became one of the most famous sculptures of it's time. It was featured at the 1851 Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations in London, where it stood on a rotating pedestal under a lavish red canopy. As part of the American pavilion it was the centerpiece of a display that included a tipi, Native Americans, portraits of presidents + objects associated with progress + national identity.

The Virginian Slave, drawn by John Tenniel was an illustration published in the British magazine Punch as a direct counter-image. It showed a shackled Black woman, forcing Americans to confront the realities of slavery in the American South. During his visit to the fair American Abolitionist, author + former slave William Wells Brown placed the image of the Black slave alongside the white statue to emphasize the suffering of enslaved women - An American reality.

#thegreekslave #thevirginianslave #williamwellsbrown #abolitionist #activism #protest #johntenniel #hirampowers #resistance #statue #sculpture #blackhistory